Our urban environs have become ecosystems all their own

Humans have been an urban species for at least 7,000 years, since the days of Jericho and Eridu. Ancient cities were relatively small: walled enclosures surrounded by fields and pastures. Today, of course, our cities are huge conglomerations of asphalt, concrete, metal, brick, and glass sometimes sprawling to the horizon. Greater Tokyo, for example, covers about 12,000 square miles. More than half of humanity now lives in cities, and most of those…» Read more

Drilling Requests are Multiplying, but so are Anti-Fracking Campaigns

The environmental consequences of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” are already clear in the United States, with flammable drinking water being only the most dramatic illustration of the problems. Now fracking — which uses millions of gallons of high pressured water, sand, and…» Read more